Story 4 The Game
by SoJoGoGo
Summary: The Crew of Voyager take a break in a holodeck to play a game of baseball. Unfortunately others have a different idea of what they should be doing.


**Story 4 – The Game**

_**By Sojogogo**_

**Rating: PG**

**Pairings: None really maybe B/T but they aren't the major characters**

**Summary:** The Crew of Voyager take a break in a holodeck to play a game of baseball. Unfortunately others have a different idea of what they should be doing.

**Author's Notes: **You should read Dark Breed, New Collective and Seven Deadly Sins before reading this so it makes sense.

**Disclaimer: **All is owned outside of my characters by Paramount and anyone else who has a right to them.

**oooooooo**

**Part I**

**Pre-game Opening**

"Come on Captain..," Ensign Paris said in his most winning voice. "It'll be fun." He finished with a deep drawl of enticement.

Captain Janeway sighed and rolled her eyes at him. "Tom, I don't think it's such a good idea..."

"Everyone needs a break now and then. Even Neelix was talking about how we haven't had one for three months. One afternoon...a sunny day...lots of food...the smell of fresh cut grass..." he said enchantingly. "Seven doesn't even know anything about the game and Chakotay thinks it'll be good for Ayden to know the rest of the crew and I bet she can throw a mean curve ball if someone taught her."

Janeway stopped walking and so did he. He knew right where to get her didn't he? "One afternoon Ensign, but only if we don't have any emergencies come up."

Tom grinned, his eyes beaming. "Thanks Captain! It'll be great!"

Janeway shook her head but smiled and continued on toward the bridge only to have Chakotay join her. "He talk you into it?" the gentle man asked with amusement glinting in his eyes.

She flickered an annoyed glance at him. "I take it everyone knew but me."

He chuckled softly. "Just about. You know Tom."

Janeway smiled. "And if I had said no?"

"He was going to go for the ace in the hole." He looked at her.

"Ayden," they said at the same time.

"Seven was going to be next. But Ayden wouldn't argue about the relevance of it all," Chakotay told her.

Janeway shook her head. "It's been a month since that incident with those rodents."

Chakotay smiled. "Mother hen," he whispered.

She frowned. "Am I?"

"Can't blame you," he replied. "Seven's always had the strength and confidence. She just needs someone to guide her. Ayden's..."

"Different," Janeway finished. Her brow knotted in thought. "I know." They entered the turbolift together. "Bridge," she told the computer. She looked to Chakotay. "Has B'Elanna coerced her back into the holodecks yet?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Driving her crazy too. Ayden's still beating herself up over what happened on Regulus VI."

The turbolift slowed. "Think she'll listen to me?" she asked.

Chakotay shrugged. "Couldn't hurt. Seven's tried until even her temper snapped." They stepped out onto the bridge. "I've talked with her but she avoids that subject."

Janeway nodded and sighed. "Guess it's better to have her angry at me but have her working on her control."

He gently touched her arm. "You know you missed your calling, right?" he said quietly as they sat trying not to smile.

She looked at him. "Don't even think it, let alone say it."

He couldn't help it as a grin appeared. "Too late on the first part. But you know I'm right." She shook her head. "How many times did your mother put you in your place when you were young?" he asked.

Janeway sighed. "I'm just not the mothering type, Chakotay. She avoids me half the time anyway."

He smiled. "Don't all children?" She glared at him and he turned to his work.

**oooooooo**

"Seven?" Harry called out as he came into the Astrometrics lab.

The gorgeous blond turned to him from where she was working at the console in front of the large view screen. "Yes, Ensign. What may I do for you?"

He fidgeted for a moment under her direct gaze. "Tom and I...well I was wondering if..." he sighed. "Are you going to the ball game?"

She looked slightly displeased at this. "The recreational activity tomorrow. I had not considered it." She turned back to her console glancing between it and the view screen as the schematics they presented changed to a different view.

He fidgeted a little more. "Ummm...I was hoping you were going to play."

Seven looked back at him. "That is highly unlikely. This game Ensign Paris referred to..."

"Baseball," Harry said meekly. "It's a great game, Seven. I've played it a few times. You might enjoy yourself."

Seven looked at him closely. "Enjoyment is irrelevant. Besides, all of the senior officers are going to be there. Someone should monitor the ship while you are away...playing." She said the last word firmly, her voice full of disapproval.

"Ayden's going to be there," he tried again.

Seven smirked and returned to her duties. "I find that hard to believe Ensign since she won't enter a holodeck anymore." She tapped a few pads on the console.

"The captain will get her to come," Harry said confidently. He waited in silence before he realized she wasn't going to reply. "If she comes, will you?"

Seven sighed giving the monitor an annoyed look. "Very well, Ensign. If Ayden goes, so will I. But as a spectator. I do not wish to join in this frivolous amusement."

He nodded grinned. "Okay, thanks Seven." He backed up bumping into the wall next to the door. She looked back at him and he blushed and made it out of the room. She could hear him whistling a cheerful tune as the doors slid shut.

**oooooooo**

Tom entered the mess hall to find Neelix puttering around his kitchen. "Ensign Paris!" he greeted him with a cheerful smile. He came a little closer leaning in he lowered his voice. "Did you talk to the captain?"

Tom smiled. "We're set to go."

Neelix grinned and patted him on the shoulder. "Good! I've got most of the food planned. I did think that we should have a little more variety in the menu..."

Tom sighed to himself. "It's a barbeque, Neelix. A big grill with hamburgers and hot dogs. It'll be your moment."

Neelix stopped talking and looked thoughtful. "My moment..."

Tom smiled. "Of course, the chef is the honored member of a barbeque."

Neelix nodded. "The crew won't mind consuming that much meat?"

"It's tradition," Tom said reverently.

"Tradition..." Neelix repeated in the same tone of voice. "Well, I would never want to be one to change tradition," he said proudly.

Tom smiled and picked up a plate of food. "Let me know if I can do anything to help."

Neelix nodded but didn't really hear him as the Talaxian was deep in thought. Tom grinned as he made his way over to where B'Elanna sat. The beautiful Human/Klingon woman glanced between the two of them. "What was that about?"

Tom sat down across from her. "Just talked Neelix out of putting a new spin on the barbeque."

"The captain went for it?" she said as she brought a forkful of food up to her mouth.

He nodded. "Reluctantly, but I think she wants a break too. You know the captain." Giving her an impersonation of the captain's scowl.

B'Elanna smiled as she chewed. "Tough as ever," she said after she swallowed.

He smiled back as he looked to the purple mound of unknown food before him. "Oh, yeah." He poke it a bit. "Is it good?"

She shrugged. "Better than the yellowish green stuff last week. Tastes like a mix of squash and apples."

Tom grimaced a little and took a bite. He raised an eyebrow. "Guess I'll live."

B'Elanna grinned. "You're gonna have to. A lot of replicator rations are going in to tomorrow."

He smiled. "Think Harry talked Seven into it?"

B'Elanna frowned. "Probably, if he words it right. Enjoyment and fun should definitely be kept out." She sat for a moment. "Think Seven can get Ayden through those doors? I'll need an army to get her to go in if I tried."

Tom smiled. "Or one stubborn captain."

B'Elanna snorted almost choking on her drink. "Ayden's pretty set on staying away."

Tom picked up another forkful and thoughtfully chewed. "We could transport her in."

B'Elanna shook her head. "I don't want her angry at us, Tom. She has to do it on her own or she won't trust us."

He smiled at her. "Just keeping an open mind."

She rolled her eyes. "You and your 'open' mind." He chuckled as they finished their dinner.

**oooooooo**

**The next day around noon...**

Ayden backed away from the holodeck doors where Lieutenant Torres and Captain Janeway had lured her so far. People were entering in their off duty clothes watching as the Captain and B'Elanna cornered the young woman across the way.

"You have to go in sometime, Ayden," Janeway said calmly. "See, everyone else is going in. It's just for fun. Nothing's going to go wrong."

Ayden furrowed a disbelieving brow at her shaking her head once more. "No," she said firmly. That was an easy word she'd gotten use to saying. That along with yes, Seven and Captain were non stuttering words. She folded her arms and glared. She could wait them out, she was pretty patience when it was something she was dead set on not doing.

Janeway groaned as she looked to the Lieutenant. "Seven's coming," B'Elanna tried again. Ayden's eyes became dark for a moment as she quickly scanned the hallways not seeing her sibling anywhere in the vicinity. If Seven felt like it she would haul her in there by her shirt. Ayden may be stronger but not by much and Seven was a powerhouse when it came to getting Ayden to do things she didn't want to just from Ayden's awe of her.

More people came, Neelix was scuttling about with his apron saying 'kiss the cook' already on. He held Naomi's hand and Ensign Wildman was on the other side of her daughter. Naomi let him go and headed over to where they stood. She looked up at the glowering young woman. She smiled fondly at her. "Where's Seven?"

Ayden shrugged. "Co-m-ing," she got out slowly.

Naomi nodded smiling brighter. She took Ayden's hand in her small one completely at ease with the dangerous young woman. "Come on, you're going to miss the food." She tugged lightly and Ayden stiffened. Naomi glared at her not understanding her friend's reluctance on entering. "Come on, Ayden. I'll stay with you." Ayden glanced up at the older people. Her shoulders sagged as she let Naomi pull her through the doorway.

B'Elanna sighed as she leaned back against the wall. "Remind me to consult with her in the future."

Sam Wildman smiled at them. "Did you hear about her latest project?"

Janeway looked to her. "No...what's that?" She knew Naomi was a bright girl and both Ayden and Seven were high on her list as best friends. Neither of the young women refused her much of anything.

"Naomi's convinced that she can teach her how to read."

B'Elanna and the captain glanced at each other. "If she accomplishes that I'll make her an officer," Janeway said.

Sam smiled. "Don't tell her that, she's bad enough already with just wanting to be your assistant."

B'Elanna looked at them. "Wouldn't teaching her to speak be more relevant than reading?"

Seven came up behind them. "She has a Klingon curse down quite well. I suppose that is what you want her saying?" The tall blond mentioned in her impartial tone.

B'Elanna smiled a little embarrassed as Janeway raised an eyebrow at her. "You're teaching her to swear?"

"No... it's wasn't on purpose," B'Elanna fumbled about. "She doesn't know what it means anyway."

Seven looked at her. "She may not know the words but she knows the tone of voice behind it. I would not underestimate her."

"Never did." B'Elanna glowered just like Ayden had a few minutes earlier.

Seven looked to the captain. "Did she enter?"

Janeway smiled. "Naomi was here."

Seven gave a nod at this. "Understood." The group entered the holodeck.

**oooooooo**

The park was massive. A huge baseball field stood out from the eating area and the tables were loaded and various members of the crew swarmed about piling food onto their plates. Janeway sighed as she walked along with Seven. The sky was bright and a few puffy clouds drifted lazily about. Tom was right about the smell of freshly cut grass. And the aroma from the gigantic grill where Neelix had taken over was divine.

Seven looked to the cheerful grin on the captain's face. "You are enjoying yourself," she stated.

Janeway nodded. "It's just what everyone needed." She looked to her friend. "What do you think of this?"

Seven looked around. "It is not productive, but I am curious as to the day's events."

Janeway looked intrigued. "What do you mean?"

Seven stopped and took in the sights and sounds. "I have accessed many data files on this particular activity. All of them were considered to be an enjoyable experience."

Janeway smiled. "I though enjoyment was irrelevant?"

"It is," Seven replied. "But I have learned that if I want to expand my knowledge of human experiences then I must forgo the need to be productive to understand what all of you see in... this."

Janeway nodded solemnly. "That's very insightful of you Seven."

Seven glanced down at her. "Hardly. But my time with Ayden has found me questioning her behavior."

Now the captain was curious. "How so?"

Seven turned to face her completely. "One moment she is quiet and attentive and the next she is not. I find her to be in a disagreeable behavior at the beginning of the day but as the day progresses she becomes more efficient."

Janeway smiled. "That's human nature, Seven."

Seven frowned. "I do not see this with you, or the others so frequently as I do with her."

"I'm grumpy when I wake up too. Cup of coffee and I'm set to go."

Seven looked curious. "Should I introduce 'coffee' to her?"

The captain blinked in surprise then laughed. "She's jumpy enough already. I don't think she needs any help."

Seven looked unconvinced but said nothing more as Naomi pulled Ayden along behind her coming up to them. The girl took Seven's hand and placed Ayden's in it. "Watch her," she ordered the tall blond. "I have to go help Uncle Neelix." She glared at her silent charge and headed for the grill.

Janeway bit her bottom lip to stop herself from smiling. Ayden slid her hand free from Seven's. The two looked at each other and Seven nodded. "You will return," she insisted.

Ayden looked upset but she nodded. Janeway looked between the two of them. "Where are you going?" she asked.

Ayden tensed her jaw. "H-hot." She was in her normal black outfit and she was squinting in the bright sunlight with her light sensitive eyes.

Janeway nodded. "Don't forget your glasses."

Ayden smiled slightly and headed for the doors. Naomi saw her and headed in her direction a scowl forming on the girl's face. Ayden saw her and slid easily into the opposite direction heading toward the open field with a slight grin. Janeway noticed that the crowd was a little quieter as Ayden kept just out of Naomi's grasp. Most of them chuckled, some were a little thoughtful as they watched the mostly somber, silent young woman become playful. She looked to Seven who watched curiously then glanced at the Captain.

"This is what I am referring too," Seven told her. "She was upset only a moment ago and now she is...happy," she said as she accessed the narrow mind link between herself and her sister. "Why is this?"

Janeway stood looking introspective. "It's just the way she is, Seven. You can't change her. You're going to have to learn to accept it." Seven's brow furrowed slightly and the Captain sighed. "Did you really want her to be just like you?"

"No," Seven said firmly. She watched as Naomi was becoming tired and Ayden hadn't even broken a sweat. "But I do not know how to calculate for these changes. When they occur I become increasingly frustrated and Ayden becomes more obstinate."

"Seven," Janeway said softly putting a light hand on her arm. "No one can calculate human nature, not even the Borg. They couldn't with yours and when they thought you would join them your human nature won out. Give your relationship with her some time. You'll see signs like in facial expressions that warn you of things." She grinned slyly. "She can do it with you."

Seven looked startled at this revelation glancing in her direction. "Elaborate."

"Emotions are Ayden's world, Seven." She steered her towards the picnic tables and handed her a plate, nodding that she select some things out of the bowls and containers to try. "She understands them better than anyone I know and she's only been at it about five years. You're trying to fit her into a controlled situation. That's never going to happen. So now you have to learn about her by watching and expanding your relationship."

Seven looked at the food and selected what the captain selected since she didn't know what any of them were. Janeway smiled. "Right there is my point."

"Captain?" Seven glanced at her.

"You follow a lead when you are uncertain. A certain order for a more predictable outcome. If Ayden were here she might try what I have. But it's most likely she would try everything because she has a curious nature. And order will never completely satisfy the curious."

Seven looked at her totally opened faced as she contemplated this. "So you are saying I should try to be more like her to understand her?"

Janeway shook her head. "No, who you are is your own nature. You can't go changing that to relate to her. All that will accomplish is frustration for you and Ayden will get confused because you're not being yourself."

Seven nodded slowly, and through the remainder of the table she picked out her own samples of food and the captain bit off a smile. She looked at her as they headed for the grill and the humming Neelix. "I will do as you suggest," she finally told the captain after some thought.

Ayden had given in when Naomi started glaring at her from the center of the baseball field, no longer able to keep up with her. Ayden stood in front of her maybe a little over a foot taller than the girl and she bent down and clenched her jaw and began to speak haltingly to her. This got everyone's attention even though they couldn't hear her. Naomi nodded and put her arms about her neck to hug her, this also got them intrigued and Ayden lifted her up and carried her back as though she weighed hardly anything. She deposited her friend next to her mother and looked back at Seven and left for the entrance.

Before she could exit she was intercepted by Tom and B'Elanna. The brown haired pilot asked her something and she squinted in confusion for a moment then B'Elanna said something else and Ayden slowly nodded. They smiled at her and she left, this time making it out of the holodeck doors.

The two walked back hand in hand to where they had vacated their places. Seven and Janeway had found seats just down the table next to Tuvok who looked slightly intrigued at the picnic.

Kim sat across from Tom and B'Elanna and smiled at them as they sat. "She's going to do it?"

Tom nodded and grinned. "I can't wait to see this."

B'Elanna looked at the two of them. "Won't that be unfair to the other team if she plays?"

Harry snorted. "She could probably be her own team."

Tom looked at them. "Let's just wait and see what happens," he whispered. "Maybe she won't be any good."

B'Elanna snorted looking at him in disbelief. "Where did you get that concept from?"

Tom shrugged. "You never know B'Elanna." He patted her hand. "You just never know."

**oooooooo**

Seven looked to her plate of food, then to the captain watching her sample what she had on her plate. The captain smiled and looked at what Seven had taken. Pretty much the normal fair. Seven took a small amount of lumpy white stuff with flecks of yellow and green and gingerly put it in her mouth. Her eyebrows raised as she slowly chewed. It was a creamy texture with small bite sized crunchy bits. She looked questioningly at the captain who smiled.

"Potato salad," Janeway responded to the unasked query.

Seven looked down at it. "I find it intriguing that edible nourishment which is most enjoyed by the crew is not high in nutritional value."

"It usually isn't," Janeway said around a healthy bite of her hot dog covered with ketchup and relish. "But you don't eat it all the time, that why people enjoy it so much." She rested her elbows on the table and cupped her chin to watch with amusement as Seven tried baked beans. "What do you think?"

Seven's eyebrow raised and she cocked her head slightly in thought as she swallowed. "It is a bit sweet. Is it a dessert?"

Janeway pressed her lips together and shook her head. "No, that comes later. Those are cooked for a long period of time with brown sugar if I remember my mother telling me about them correctly."

Seven pushed the beans around. "I believe I prefer the 'potato salad' then."

Janeway nodded and speared a forkful of seven bean salad. The doors opened and Ayden came back in. Dressed out of her usual black in a pair of worn looking soft blue cotton pants that hugged her legs and a white t shirt. The shirt was tucked into the waist and the short sleeves showed toned muscles with a couple slim wire like implants wrapping about her upper right arm. With her boots and glasses, Janeway looked surprised at the difference it made in Ayden's appearance. Not so sober and dark anymore, she looked like an average young human female, though the clothes were a bit unusual. She looked to Seven who showed that the clothes change was unbeknownst to her. The doctor followed Ayden in looking quite pleased. Janeway saw three of her junior officers flush at the sight of Ayden's 'new' look. She looked again, she was beautiful. Not the classic beauty of her sister, but still... The doctor spoke with her and she headed for Neelix and the doctor headed for the Captain.

She pointed her fork at the young woman. "Your idea?"

He nodded grinning widely. "I've read up on the subject of the game called baseball. The clothing is what they wore around the era, it was internationally popular. Something called jeans...and a white t shirt." He smiled at the sight of the woman as she spoke slowly to the Talaxian who surprised her by getting a plate and he began to fill it full with food. "She's very becoming in it, isn't she?"

The Captain looked up at the sentient hologram. "Yes, she is."

"Not so dark and foreboding," he said in a self-congratulatory voice.

She smiled and nodded. "That was a very good idea doctor."

"Thank you," he said pleased.

Room was made and Ayden sat down by her sister. Neelix had loaded it with a bit of everything. Ayden shrugged and tried it all. The captain looked to Seven who looked back and Janeway's eyebrows raised and Seven gave in with a slight acknowledgment.

Once she had tried everything Janeway leaned over. "Ayden?" The young woman looked her way. "Which one do you like best?" She nodded to the plate. Ayden looked at it for a moment then pointed. The captain grinned. Potato salad. She looked at Seven. "Not so different I believe." she whispered and Ayden looked at them curiously. She had avoided the bean salad which she thought was disgusting and the captain was a little disappointed, she had enjoyed it. And she didn't like the wiggling stuff whereas Seven did. Ayden played with it instead, completely fascinated by the orange and green cubes of gelatinous substance, shortly getting a reprimand from Seven for doing so. Neelix had said Tom called it Jell-O.

Tom and Harry came up to her and she slid out of her seat. Tom grinned at the Captain and Seven. "You're sure you don't want to play?"

The Captain smiled and shook her head. "No thanks, played it once back home. Got hit with a ball, never felt the same way about it again. Figured if I was going to play a sport to find something softer," Janeway told them.

Tom looked at Seven. "I must also decline. This particular cardiovascular activity does not appeal to me."

Tom shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Janeway nodded her chin at Ayden and B'Elanna who were headed out to the diamond. "What's going on?"

He grinned. "We're going to teach her how to play."

She shook her head. "I wouldn't catch for her if you teach her how to pitch."

Tom looked thoughtful. "We'll see." He and Harry left following behind the two women.

Seven looked back at the captain. "That is an unwise decision on the Ensign's part."

Janeway shrugged. "Sometimes it's the only way to learn." Seven slowly nodded and the captain stood. "Let's go watch the warm ups shall we?"

**oooooooo**

The four of them stood on the pitcher's mound and Tom tossed a baseball loosely catching it in his glove as the captain and Seven sat down next to Chakotay who had just come in from the last shift on the bridge. Janeway looked over at him as Tom moved his arm about and Ayden's eyebrows were raised above the rim of her glasses as she watched with fascination. "Aren't you playing?" she asked. Chakotay was dressed in a comfortable pair of relaxed clothing.

He smiled and nodded. "I just want to see this." He motioned slightly to center field.

Janeway smiled. "It should be very eye opening."

He chuckled. "You notice that B'Elanna's the only one who's taking Ayden seriously?"

She nodded. "No one else has ever seen her really move." Seven raised an eyebrow. "Well, except the two of us and Tuvok and B'Elanna."

Finally B'Elanna took the ball from Tom in mid throw and handed it to Ayden. She said a few words and Ayden slowly nodded. The lieutenant moved down to the batter's box and showed the strike zone on a person and explained a couple of more things about the plate in front of her, then moved out of the way warning her not to hit anyone. She called for a holographic batter but Tom insisted on catching. B'Elanna rolled her eyes and patted his head in sympathy and moved away from him.

The crowd sat down on the grass or in the bleachers to watch as Tom took his position behind home plate and crouched down holding his glove out to catch the ball. Ayden looked to B'Elanna confused and the lieutenant moved out to the mound and explained a few more things quietly and Ayden's eyebrows raised again. B'Elanna grinned wickedly and patted her arm and moved away but stayed to the side of the mound. Chakotay leaned forward to rest his forearms on his knees watching intently, holding a small data pad in one hand. Ayden drew her arm back from her standing position and threw...

Tom yelped in pain as the ball hit his glove and jerked his hand back into his body with the tremendous force driving him to the ground. B'Elanna smirked, not feeling a bit sorry for him and Ayden looked curious as the Ensign danced around pulling off his glove to cradle his hand. The Doctor came out and examined it.

"Sprained with two broken bones. Fortunately for you Mr. Paris. I came prepared for the occasion," the doctor said in his usual tone of voice, holding up a medkit.

Tom glared at him through the pain. B'Elanna came up to stand by where he sat. "I told you, Tom."

He glared at her. "Okay, I know." He sighed in relief as the Doctor gave him a pain killer and he began to repair the damage.

The captain appeared and touched his shoulder. "Are you okay?" she asked sincerely.

He looked up at her, then to Ayden who still stood on the mound watching them closely. "Just my ego being bruised a little, captain." He flexed his repaired hand. "Thanks doc."

The Doctor nodded. "I wouldn't do that again if I were you Ensign," he reprimanded him.

Tom grinned at him. "Gotcha." He stood and the crowd clapped that he was okay and he waved. He walked up to the pitcher's mound where Ayden waited. "How fast do you think that was?" he said in a friendly tone making her worried look recede.

"One hundred and ninety seven miles an hour!" Chakotay called out from the stand.

Tom blinked in awe. He smiled at her. "Want to play on my team?"

B'Elanna came up to them. "We haven't picked teams yet. The computer was going to do that to give us an even chance."

Tom sighed and patted her shoulder, she shied away a little but she took the compliment. "Do me a favor?" he asked. She looked at him. "Can you hit that tree?"

She looked to where he pointed. The captain came out to join them as Harry handed Ayden the baseball. The holoprogram was immense showing not just a park but they were surrounded by miles of trees. The tree he pointed to was over a thousand yards away. It was impossible for a person to do it. Ayden shrugged and shifted the ball in her fingers. Harry backed away and she threw it hard.

**oooooooo**

"We're going to have to get a new ball," Harry said from where he and Tom looked at the almost completely embedded sphere in the tree trunk. She had hit it with dead on accuracy. Chakotay had been clocking that throw too. Three hundred and ninety one miles an hour.

Tom looked impressed. The outer covering of the ball was torn and dangling where it could and the wrapped core was shredded from the incredible speed. "Think she can hit it with a bat like that?"

Harry looked from the trunk to his innovative friend. "Do you think the trees could handle it? And given that she'd have more leverage with a bat, do you think the holodeck could handle it?"

Tom looked his way. "No one can be that good Harry. It's humanly impossible."

Harry gave his friend an odd look. "She's not entirely human. I think that gives her an edge."

Tom looked annoyed. "A thousand yards? Almost four hundred miles an hour?"

"It would have slowed down if it hadn't of hit the tree," Harry replied. "Eventually."

Tom shook his head and looked back to the distance figures. A thousand yards, over two thirds of a mile. They didn't even see it leave her hand and Harry said as they jogged out that he had been watching her throw. It was like a blur. "She could be her own team couldn't she?"

Harry snorted and smiled. "Probably. But the Captain and Seven wouldn't let you."

Tom raised an eyebrow at that then sighed. "Neither would B'Elanna or Chakotay."

Harry grinned. "She makes friends faster than you."

Tom smiled. "You mean supervisors."

Harry looked thoughtful. "In a way, maybe. But they're still her friends."

Tom stood straight and the two of them walked back. "How do you think she does it?"

"The accuracy of advanced Borg technology, the strength and speed of the Dark Breed, and the Human spirit," Kim said sarcastically as he shrugged. "I have no idea."

Tom chuckled. "I guess it's a good thing she can't read or she really would be perfect wouldn't she?"

Harry looked at him. "It would probably help if she talked and didn't have to watch her control over her dark breed urges and if she..."

Tom held up his hands. "Perfect but not perfect...I get the idea."

Harry laughed. "You aren't planning to pitch to her are you?"

"Very funny Harry," Tom said dryly.

**oooooooo**

**Part II**

**Protons vs. Electrons **

**or Game postponed on account of intruders**

"Foul two! Strike two!"

"What!" Tom Paris, captain of the Protons team came off the bench. He glared at the umpire behind home plate. "Are you blind!"

The umpire stood up straight and stared at him. "I assure you Ensign, my optical sensors are functioning correctly," the Doctor said a little uptight. This was the third time Tom had stood up to protest his judgment on the pitch and it was only the bottom of the first inning. "Maybe we should have yours checked," he bit off as Tom grumbled but sat down.

So far the game was pretty evenly matched. Most of the crew had turned out and they were rotating quicker shifts so that everybody got a chance to come. Ayden had watched for a while and decided not to play since it went so slow, and most of the time they just stood there waiting.

Chakotay and Neelix were on Tom's team. And Harry and B'Elanna were on the opposite team which much to the Captain's dismay the computer had picked her as...captain of the Electrons team. She had been cheered down to the bench but she insisted that she didn't care to play. She would coach as she racked her brains on trying to remember the rules of the game.

B'Elanna was up pitching and Harry was between 2nd and 3rd as shortstop. She looked from the mound as Lieutenant Njal threw the ball back. Neelix was up and his stance and bat position were... interesting, was the only thing Torres could think of. She came off with a strong underhand throw for the short Talaxian and he swung about ten seconds too soon.

"Strike three, you're out!" the Doctor said smirking at Tom.

Tom had almost stood up but he saw that B'Elanna was watching waiting to see what argument he had for THAT one. He grumped again as he sat there.

Neelix nodded. "Oh, that's too bad," he consoled himself merrily as he went back to the bench smiling. "Isn't this an exciting activity?" he told them as he sat down and Tom rolled his eyes and cheered as another crew member got up to bat. They had one out left and the Electrons were ahead by one.

**oooooooo**

"Come on Seven! This is fun!" Naomi told the ex-Borg who strolled behind the child and her sibling.

Ayden was watching her from a distance curiously. Seven would not have normally come, but then neither would have Ayden except for Naomi's insistence. The game 'baseball' did nothing for either of them. Seven watched with mild interest at the human lack of accuracy before she saw Naomi cajole Ayden into a walk toward a clearing of wild flowers that Tom had told her he had programmed just for her. She had decided to follow and study her sister's erratic behavior more.

Once Naomi realized that Seven was behind them she headed back to bring her along. Ayden had become more serious in Seven's vicinity. This was odd, her behavioral pattern changed with the influence of her presence. Seven had found this to be true with her and Lieutenant Torres. Even after two years they still had times when 'getting along' as the captain would put it usually ended up with the two arguing about something.

She smiled slightly as her young friend skipped along next to her with her hand clasped in the smaller one. She was amazed at the energy that such a small child could produce. She looked to Ayden, but then she was bigger and could produce more. It was difficult for her to think of Ayden as being almost eight years younger than herself. From the linear perspective they looked to be about the same age and yet Ayden was still in her teens. She had come out of the maturation chambers on the Borg sphere not much younger than she looked now. She had no memory of their parents but what little Seven could give her from her own memory which was distorted as it was.

_'Irrelevant_,' she told herself. There was nothing she could do to give Ayden this childhood that she had experienced. But she would figure out how to give her a better one here on Voyager.

**oooooooo**

"You...!" she began to yell out. She stopped herself and looked to her team mate. "He's not serious is he?" Janeway asked Harry from where she sat next to him on the bench. "It was to low."

He smiled at her. "It looked low to me," he said with all the seriousness he could muster. Janeway stood up and moved a couple of steps forward and began to argue. He looked to his Captain and bit on the edge of his knuckle to keep from laughing. That would only get him in hot water with her.

The longer the game went on the more involved the Captain became. Her fierce competitiveness was beginning to show and now in the bottom of the fifth inning with the score 4; Protons, 6; Electrons. She was yelling out encouragement to her team and arguing not only with Tom but the Doctor as well.

"I assure you, Captain!" The Doctor was getting frustrated with the two of them constantly yelling at his umpiring. "It was in the strike zone!"

The Captain glared at him. "I hope so." She muttered something about holographic diagnostics before she looked to Ensign Geyere. "You can do it," she said confidently. The Ensign smiled and went back into the batter's box.

B'Elanna was on first base wanting to move and Chakotay was her guard as first baseman waiting to tag her out. The two friends glanced at each other and smiled. It was just so much the Captain.

**oooooooo**

The field of wild flowers was... pleasing. Seven decided as she watched Naomi run through them letting the golden pollen dust rise up after her as she swung around in a circle before collapsing in a fit of giggles in the center of a section of them letting a spray of pollen and dirt from beneath her bloom about her body. Even Ayden looked curious at this. She glanced at Seven who looked back with a raised eyebrow of 'what' and Ayden looked to the ground. Seven's brow furrowed as her frustration rose.

"What is wrong?" she finally asked in a hard tone that she did not mean to use but found it came on it's own. Ayden shrugged. "That is not acceptable. You are upset at my presence around you. I want to know why," she said.

Ayden cringed slightly at the tone. Seven had been getting more and more irritated around her and Ayden didn't know what to do about it. She swallowed and glanced up at her, hurt in her eyes.

Seven looked into them as she understood Ayden's thoughts between their connection. The tall ex-Borg nodded slightly. "I am not angry with you Ayden," she said in her normal tone of voice. "I am experience a lack of understanding in our differences."

Naomi stood up and looked at the two of them. She could see the stiffness in both of them. They were arguing... again. She sighed to herself and rolled her eyes, and in a small way grateful that she didn't have any younger brothers or sisters if that's what she had to go through all the time. She smiled. But if she could get a little sister like Ayden... that might be worth it. She looked to her idol, the statuesque blond was talking firmly to her sibling. Naomi wanted to be just like her, maybe not so firm, but Seven knew how to have fun when she tried.

Bending down she knelt looking into the field of flowers. Almost every kind was here. She selected a few and pulled them out and headed for the sisters at the edge of the field. She watched them as she walked. She was glad Seven had come, but Ayden would have run through the field with her if Seven wasn't here. She could understand Ayden's reserve, Seven was overwhelming sometimes. And Naomi learned that Ayden couldn't handle criticism very well, which was a good share of Seven's normal conversation with people. She sighed again as she came closer and Seven looked up at her and Ayden looked a little relieved at her presence.

She handed them the flowers and Seven looked them then at Naomi who was looking firmly at her. Seven nodded briefly. "Thank you Naomi," she said as she took them.

Naomi smiled and Ayden took hers and smiled softly at her. "Th-ank you." she said as softly as her smile.

Naomi grinned wider as a small tremor was felt underneath her feet. She frowned and looked down as Seven and Ayden looked up past her out into the distance. The girl looked up at them then turned to face what looked like a flaw in the holoprogram not too far past the field of flowers and them.

**oooooooo**

Harry was up and he swung his bat getting the feel of the wooden smoothness beneath his grip. The pitcher, who was a science officer smiled and stepped back to pitch. The small tremor the others had felt was like a brush of wind underneath them. The Doctor's image flickered for a moment then came back. He looked down to himself as Harry stepped back.

"You okay Doc?" he asked.

Tom looked up from his position below him as catcher. "What's wrong?"

The Doctor looked to himself but smiled and nodded. "I'm okay."

Harry looked at him. "You're sure?"

He nodded. "I'll have the Lieutenant look at it after the game."

Harry nodded and moved back into the batter's box. It was weird, but it wasn't like it hadn't happened before and it was just a glitch.

**oooooooo**

The 'flaw' began to spread showing a darkness with faint patterns of another place other than the normal silver color of the holodeck in the tear of the program.

Seven tapped her combadge letting the flowers fall. "Seven to the Captain," she said firmly. Her combadge buzzed, signaling it wasn't working. She reached over and tapped Ayden's. "Seven to the bridge." The same response. "Computer end program!" she ordered.

_'Unable to comply, program options offline_,' the computer responded.

They watched as something moved in the darkness beyond the rip. Naomi grabbed Seven's hand as fear crept into her small body. "Computer display holodeck exit," Seven demanded.

_'Unable to comply, all holodeck functions unavailable_,' the computer said back.

"What is it?" Naomi whispered as she clung to the blond woman.

"A tear.." Seven replied as her enhanced optical implants studied it. "A gateway from another place to Voyager." She studied it as she began to backup grabbing the back of Ayden's shirt to make her move with them. "More specifically to the holodeck. I would not warrant something 'good' to come of this," she said to her.

Seven let go of Ayden's shirt and took hold of Ayden's arm firmly as the rip opened wider. There were no options open to leave the holodeck or warn the bridge, but the captain and the others should be notified of the danger and hopefully they could figure out something together.

"Go back," she ordered her sister.

She guided her along with Naomi caught up in her arms. They made it out of the wild flowers onto the path surrounded by high grasses that reached as high as Seven's knees. They all heard the sound of movement and Seven looked back to see creatures in dull brown clothing pour through the rip. They were humanoid with dark skin and no hair, each of them carrying a phaser like weapon. They spotted them and one of them fired. She grunted slightly at the pain she felt across her back as she shielded Naomi and Ayden with her body. Ayden dragged her down and stood over her to make sure it didn't happen again.

"Seven," Naomi whimpered from the ground next to her. "Seven, are you okay?"

"I will be fine," Seven said through gritted teeth. "Go warn the Captain," she told her. Naomi looked uncertain, then to Ayden. "She won't leave either of us behind. You have to go." Seven told her firmly. Naomi swallowed hard then stood in a crouch and sped off down the path they had come along a short while ago. Ayden crouched down pulling off her glasses she lightly touched her back and Seven hissed at the pain. She looked to her sister. "You will not leave, will you?"

Ayden shook her head. "No," she whispered softly.

"They might kill you," Seven tried again. "For both of us to die is futile."

Ayden smiled and took in a breath. "To li-ve al-one is f-futi-le."

Seven looked into the deep blue eyes and saw that Ayden would fight to the death to keep her safe. She swallowed back her pain as Ayden reached out her mind and brought Seven into a safe darkness of unconsciousness.

Ayden looked back over her shoulder. Twenty two intruders had come in and Ayden's eyes shifted to black as her morals were pushed back by as her Dark Breed's sense of hunt and survival got caught up in her rising adrenaline. She tensed up and waited, if they came near them she would destroy them all.

**oooooooo**

"Captain! Captain!" Naomi cried out as she ran quickly down the peaceful path and across the bridge over the stream. Janeway looked up from the batter's box, bound and determined that she was going to get Harry home from third base.

Ensign Wildman and Chakotay came up as Janeway moved out of the diamond toward the frightened girl. "What is it Naomi? Where are Seven and Ayden?" She had seen them go with her less than an hour ago and they were nowhere in sight.

Naomi sucked in some needed air and pointed back the way she had come. "A hole near the wild flowers. Seven said it was a tear... like a gateway. These things started coming through and one of them shot Seven." Tears had started to form in her eyes.

Janeway tapped her combadge. "Janeway to Seven."

"They don't work," Naomi said. "Seven tried. And she couldn't get the computer to end the program or raise the bridge." Naomi wrapped her arms about her mother's neck.

"Computer override holodeck one, Janeway alpha one beta nine," Janeway called out.

_'Unable to comply, program is malfunctioning,' the computer told her._

"Computer what is the cause of the malfunction?" Torres asked from behind the captain.

_'Unknown variable in holographic sequencer,'_ the computer replied calmly.

Janeway looked around. "Computer transfer program to Janeway personal file four A."

_'Unable to comply. All programs are offline.'_

B'Elanna swore and headed for the nearest known access panel inside the holodeck. The Captain looked to Naomi. "Do you know how many came through?"

She shook her head. "Seven told me to come and warn you."

Chakotay looked to the girl then to the Captain. "No weapons, no way out."

Janeway glanced his way. "Doesn't mean we have to give up just yet."

They heard weapons fire in the distance and B'Elanna swore louder as Harry looked over her shoulder at the read out. "Whatever it is, I can't get any access except to look at the sensors. It's a photonic disruptor. They specifically came here," the Chief Engineer told her.

Janeway's eyes went hard. "Find what you can to defend yourself. We're not going down without a fight."

**oooooooo**

Ten of them had broken off from the group and headed to where Ayden and Seven had last been seen. Ayden felt the darkness rise up in her and she moved slightly to the right through the tall grass to pull the first one down without a noise. They were easily double Ayden's size and definitely her weight. The remaining nine looked over to see their comrade was gone. Ayden quietly snapped it's neck and picked up the weapon and moved to the back of the group, no one the wiser as two of them headed for where their colleague had disappeared.

Tucking the weapon into her palm she assimilated it's technology letting it overload as she learned how it worked. She absorbed the energy into her Borg system and dropped the useless weapon behind. She raised up out of the grass like a wraith and whipped around on one leg to crack the spine of an intruder with a powerful blow from her foot. He cried out once before he dropped and the others turned and Ayden sprinted towards them. They fired at her but easily avoided the discharges. She took them all down as the rest of the intruders turned from the baseball field they were heading for where the others were, to come for her. She looked to the rip to see ten more creatures come out and head for her too.

She sprinted to where Seven lay and hauled her body over her shoulder then ran for the field. If she had to, she would connect with the ship to disengage the holodeck. Anything to save Seven. She would not be alone and live through it again.

**oooooooo**

The crew waited as they heard the firing come closer. A figure ran with the grace and speed of the perfect predator. It was Ayden, with Seven over her shoulder. Janeway caught her breath as Ayden sped up and leapt over the stream towards them. She didn't stumble or falter as she came down into her sprint towards them. She had left the hunters behind as she stopped near the tables. The doctor came over as she set Seven down on a cleared picnic table. Ayden sat down and took in a breath.

"How many are there, Ayden?" Janeway asked. It took Ayden a moment to tell her and the captain looked to Chakotay. They had at least forty of the crew with them, almost two to one. They might stand a chance if they were careful.

"Panel," Ayden got out in one breath.

Janeway looked to her. "What panel?"

"Ac-cess pa-nel."

Janeway's brow furrowed then she shook her head as she realized what the young woman wanted. "That's too dangerous, Ayden." Ayden glared at her and the captain raised an eyebrow at her, not approving the disobedience. "You could kill yourself. And you don't know if you could get it to unlock before you hurt yourself to get through." Ayden looked skeptically at the coming invaders then at her. "We'll find another way," she warned her in a firm voice.

The doctor came over to the captain. "Seven's stable but she needs time in her alcove to repair damage I can't."

The creatures came out of the woods firing at them. A security officer went down and Ayden took off towards them before anyone could stop her. Barreling into one she rolled up and tucked out into the air to take out another in the same fluid movement. No movement was wasted and every kick, hit or grasp damaging, as she was bound and determined to defend her new family from these creatures. Tom took in a breath and B'Elanna nodded to the unasked question as they look for something to fight with. She was that good.

The only problem with that was the more she fought the more violent she became. Others pitched in getting weapons from fallen creatures. But Ayden began to shed blood as the creatures kept coming. Janeway looked around, this was more than twenty even more than forty. They still had to be coming from that gateway. She swung a torn piece of wood Tuvok had wrenched from a table at a dark skinned creature and connected with it's head taking it down as another one came up and Tuvok dealt with it before it could attack the captain.

"Ayden's down! So's Tom!" Chakotay called out as he fought with a weapon shooting at those around the young woman as she struggled to get back on her feet. She was knocked back with the butt of a weapon and she was out.

The tide turned as Janeway watched them drag Ayden off along with others of her fallen crew. Her blood raced as she realized they weren't going to win. "Drop your weapons!" she ordered her crew and hoped that the creatures wouldn't attack. Another chance to fight again, she hoped. They surrendered and the creatures surrounded them herding them through the rip into darkness.

**oooooooo**

**Part III**

**Halftime Entertainment**

**Voyager vs. the Maze**

B'Elanna groaned as she opened her eyes. She had a terrible headache. She had gone down under two creatures and it had not been pretty. She looked around in the dim light to find that she was in a narrow corridor with a high ceiling. The place was damp and dark as pipes overhead hissed with gas and steam. She was lying on a metal grate of a catwalk and she could see down below was a good twenty feet before the next drop. And beyond that more drops.

Groaning again she rolled over to bump into something firm. She stiffened and warily felt behind her. Cloth and the limb was warm. She peeked over her shoulder to show it was Tom lying next to her unconscious. She gasped and turned quickly. His face held a myriad of bruises and cuts. Everyone of them looked painful. She looked around seeing that there was no one else before she tucked his head to her chest for comfort. At least they were together, wherever they were.

**oooooooo**

"Captain?" The voice was distorted and faint. "Captain?" it came again and Janeway latched onto it with her mind and slowly opened her eyes letting it draw her back into the conscious world. She looked up to see Harry Kim's worried face. He looked concerned then glanced around the area nervously. "Can you stand, captain?" he asked. Stand? She didn't even know if she could stay conscious. "We really should move before they come back, captain."

"Whhhooo?" she got out in a slurred voice.

"The men creature things. They're like half human, half... something else." He shivered slightly.

Janeway slowly sat up with his help. It felt like a few hundred elephants had gone through her head. She rubbed her forehead wincing at the pain. "Wh-where are we?" she got out tiredly.

Harry shook his head. "I don't know. We walked for a while. Then they zapped us into unconsciousness and I woke up here by you."

She looked around to see she was in a small cavern like chamber not much bigger than her quarters. No one else was about and a breezy chill whipped softly through the various pathways that led out of the place. "So the others are probably in the same predicament as us."

"Most likely, captain," Harry said.

There was a movement as three big creatures came in and Janeway got a closer look at them. They were covered in a fine black hair and their eyes were feral and slitted in the pupils like cats were. Each of them hung over a little farther than a normal human and their arms were a bit longer than normal giving them a neanderthal look.

From behind them moved out two smaller beings. They were dressed in black and gold uniforms. Their foreheads protruded out a little and their eyes were a golden red with no pupils. Their skin was a greenish flesh color making them look like they were deathly ill. The larger of the two with more buttons on his outfit stepped forward.

"You are designated as the leader of our new subjects, correct?"

Janeway's glared at them. "What do you mean subjects?" No one was making her crew subjects.

"Answer or perish," he replied.

"Yes," she bit off.

He looked directly at her. "Two of our subjects are Borg. One like we have never seen and both with the enhancements removed. We wish to know how you came to possess them that we may do so to others."

Janeway slowly stood up and Harry followed behind. "And if I don't?"

"Then you will join the rest of the subjects along with your submissive to gain knowledge about your species."

"And just how do you test us?"

He looked at her. "By how you survive the maze," he berated her as if she should have already known.

"So these Borg are out there now," she said curiously.

"No, they are too valuable and too deadly, we wish to have more like it."

"Do you mind if I ask why?"

The two looked at each other then the lead one looked back. "The dark one is stronger and more efficient than our subordinates now. It would be an advanced soldier for our military. You will tell us how to obtain more."

Janeway looked stunned for a moment. "There are no more. Ayden is a unique individual."

"This dark one is an Ayden?"

"No that's her name."

"She is female."

"Yes," she said warily.

They nodded and left. Janeway looked to Harry. "How come I don't get a warm feeling from that conversation?"

**oooooooo**

Chakotay woke up slowly. He looked about him to find Tuvok heading towards him. "Commander you are awake."

He nodded slowly. "I think so."

The Vulcan nodded once. "I believe we are in a dire situation, Commander. I have checked the passageways to both sides of us and found no one else in the vicinity. I have detected the presence of others around us however. None of them friendly."

Chakotay nodded slowly. He looked about and found that they were on a hard rock surface and above them spreading out were metal grate walkways meshed in with the rock face of wherever they were. He stood and Tuvok directed him down one of the paths. His thoughts were searching for his missing captain.

They moved along in an easy gate as they watched out for anything that might help or hinder them. The whole place seemed to be one big section of passageways leading all over with no set pattern. The commander didn't like the feeling that grew as the thought of never finding a way out became a possibility.

Tuvok put out a hand and they stopped. He looked about, it was still silent. Chakotay looked with him. It was a little darker than the section they had come from but so far so good. Tuvok nodded and they continued on. As they passed, deep within the recesses of a dark corner a creature with various tentacles and a mottle colored globular shaped body followed behind.

**oooooooo**

Seven awoke with a start. She found herself in cargo bay two strapped into her alcove y hardened titanium restraints. She looked to Ayden's alcove and found she was not there. Her brow furrowed at the worry in the pit of her stomach. They had been in the field, she was hurt, then she was here. She looked to the restraints again. If everything had turned out well then she would not be captive in her own alcove.

She was there for a short time before the doors to the cargo bay opened and the Doctor entered surrounded by three of the creatures she had seen in the field and one that she knew of. He was a little shorter than the doctor with pale greenish skin. They stood in front of her and the golden red eyes locked onto her.

"What is your designation?" he asked.

"Seven of Nine." she replied as she looked to the doctor. He looked scared and worried. This was not a good sign. "You are species 1983. The others I do not know."

The alien nodded. "I am Colonel Teval of the Opakii Arms of Force. We have taken over your ship and demand that you conform to our wishes."

Seven's brow furrowed. Species 1983 always thought highly of themselves. The Borg found them useful but not as ingenious in avoiding assimilation as those from Earth. They had high codes of honor in their society and they were always at war with one species or another and considered themselves superior to all other species and were determined to capture or eliminate them. "What wishes are those?"

Teval nodded. "Your ship's Doctor has requested that your help is necessary in making the dark one adhere to our wishes."

Seven looked to the Doctor knowing who he was talking about. He looked directly into her eyes and saw the severity of what he truly wanted. Help in keeping Ayden alive. She nodded. "I will comply."

Teval nodded slowly. "Remove her restraints. But be warned Borg. Anything against us and we will strike you down," he said arrogantly.

She nodded as the creatures moved up and removed the titanium cuffs. She stepped forward and looked down at him with her firm gaze and he stepped back slightly. She smiled briefly showing that she knew he wasn't as grand as he thought. She looked to the Doctor. "What is required of me?"

He nodded slightly. "I need your help in sickbay."

Teval looked to them and motioned to the doors. The two walked out with the guards about them. The Doctor stepped in closer and lowered his voice watching Teval's back carefully. "They've put Ayden through a series of tests." He bit it off totally disapproving in what had occurred.

Seven looked to him. "What kind of tests?" she asked back as quietly as she could.

"Dermal, nervous system, neural, bone structure..." he swallowed. "It's torture, not testing. I've read about experiments done during the time of that World War Two simulation." She nodded that she knew what he was talking about. "It's worse than that. Ayden has gone through immense amounts of pain for the last five hours. She isn't given time to recuperate before the next set of... tests," he spat out. He was cut off as they made it into sickbay.

**oooooooo**

Neelix felt something cool on his forehead and he opened his eyes to find an ensign wiping his brow with a damp cloth. He looked about and found Naomi had tucked herself under his arm. "What happened?"

The ensign grimaced. "They put all the crew they considered nonessential to their tests in here."

Neelix looked about. They were in cargo bay one. A good share of the crew was with them. "The others are being tested?"

The ensign nodded. "That's what they told us. I guess to keep us cowed so we don't get subjected to it."

Neelix squeezed Naomi to him. "The Captain?"

The ensign shook her head. "Not here."

Neelix felt the fear of the unknown begin to creep up on him.

**oooooooo**

"Tom, come on. Wake up." Tom's eyes fluttered open and he looked into B'Elanna's dark brown eyes.

"B'Elanna?" he whispered and winced at the pain in his jaw.

"Just relax, fly boy," she smiled softly at him. She still held him close. Nothing had come by and she couldn't move him anywhere.

He looked about from where he rested against her then looked to her as he put a hand to his bruised jaw. "Where are we?" he asked.

"I don't know. Combadges don't work. And if this is a holodeck program it's the best I've ever seen." She watched him. "You think you can stand?"

He nodded. "Yeah," he got out.

She helped him and he had to lean against her for support. "You want to sit back down?" she asked slightly, grunting under his weight.

He shook his head slowly. "Let's... go," he said slowly.

B'Elanna smiled. "You sounded like Ayden."

He blinked wearily then gave her a soft smile. "Wish... she was... here." He looked around. "Maybe... not." The place was rather dismal.

"Come on, let's find a way out," she told him and helped him to the steps.

**oooooooo**

The Captain and Harry made their way down one of the corridors. They had been left alone for a short while when they realized that they were in the maze regardless that the captain had complied. She would not be fooled again.

"Captain," Ensign Kim said softly. Neither of them had liked the feeling they had wandering about the place. She moved to his side and he pointed down one of the pathways. "Stairs leading up," he told her.

She nodded. "Let's see where they go."

Harry followed her as they moved along. The stairs were metal and she quietly stepped onto the first one. She looked down to him. Once they started they could be caught out in the open if someone came along. He nodded that he understood, but what choice did they have? As quietly as they could, they began to ascend.

**oooooooo**

Chakotay and Tuvok made it to the first big intersection of corridors they had come across. There was still nothing useful to them. The rock was solid and there were no hints as to where they should go. The Commander leaned back against the wall as Tuvok looked down the others briefly. He looked back and shook his head. Nothing.

He had picked himself up as he heard a slight movement behind him and turned to see a long tentacle uncoil and wrap itself around his neck pulling him off his feet.

"Commander!" Tuvok called out and hurried back to see an unsightly creature with various eyes on the top of a globular body with tentacles sticking out.

He moved deftly out of the tentacles reach as he searched for a way to fight it as it squeezed the life out of Chakotay. Waiting for a moment he found a chance and dashed in and struck a tender eye with a hard fist. The creature squealed in pain and dropped Chakotay as it turned to Tuvok. The Vulcan backed up as the creature followed screaming in a high pitched noise as it followed. The eye he had struck was swollen shut.

The creature chased him down a corridor as Tuvok watched and waited getting every opportunity to strike back at the tender eyes. Finally he found a pipe above him and he jumped for it only to have the creature wrap a tentacle around his left ankle trying to drag him back to what he could now see was a gaping maw of a mouth on the top of it. Tuvok winced at the pain but he held on. He looked to the end of the pipe as it wobbled a little finding that it was loose. This was not a good omen.

**oooooooo**

B'Elanna watched as Tom regained a little of his strength back as they continued down the stairs. He smiled a little and had finally teased her. She was relieved. He stopped as he looked down. She looked with him. Someone or a couple of someone's were coming up the stairs.

Tom looked back up the many levels they had slowly come down. "That's going to be hard," he whispered.

She looked at him. He couldn't make it back up in time to let them find someplace to hide. "Maybe they'll help us," she said optimistically. He looked at her with a slightly skeptical look. She sighed as they continued on down. "I could always throw you on them. That could hurt."

He snorted. "Funny."

She smiled. "You know I try."

They came closer and they were relieved to see the familiar figures of the Captain and Harry. They sat down and waited. The other two looked just as relieved to see friendly faces. "Are you two okay?" the Captain asked.

Tom nodded. "But I've been better."

The Captain looked to the mottled bruises and winced. "I take it you've been up there?"

B'Elanna nodded. "Nothing but a dark rock corridor past the grating. If it leads somewhere I have no idea."

Janeway slowly nodded. "Harry and I can go and check it out if you want to wait here."

Tom sighed and slowly stood. "Safety in numbers," he told her but smiled slightly. "But you two can go first."

The Captain smiled compassionately at him and patted his shoulder. "I think that might be okay."

**oooooooo**

The doors to sickbay slid open to reveal that sickbay had changed slightly. Ayden was strapped into a converted table like none she had ever seen before. Three of species 1983 stood about the table watching the signs on the console panel. One of Ayden's legs had a bone repair beam healing the break they had caused in it. Deep cuts were in her forehead in an attempt to take the implant out of her. Nerve stimulators poked out like thick needles from sections of her torso, hands and feet. What was worse what that it seemed like Ayden was awake and her body tremored with pain. Seven felt an anger so deep in her rise up she began to stiffen. She felt a gentle hand on her arm and looked to the Doctor who shook his head.

Teval looked to the table unamused. He turned to Seven and the doctor. "You have what you asked for. Finish so that we may remove the implants and begin to create new ones like it."

Seven stepped for. "You cannot."

Weapons pointed at her and Teval sneered. "You said you would assist. I have no qualms in terminating you. But as long as you prove useful I will keep you alive."

"Ayden cannot be replicated," she told him just as angrily as she felt. "The Borg have tried to no avail."

He looked at her and snorted. "We are superior to the Borg. We will find a way." He looked to the doctor. "Finish or we will terminate your program and continue on ourselves."

The Doctor nodded. He moved to the table with Seven glaring at him. He looked to her as he picked up a vial from his tray and looked to the three across the table. She understood. He uncapped it and threw the contents on them and they all shrieked in pain as the liquid burned them and he quickly moved around and sedated them with a hypospray as Seven moved to grasp a the neck of the closest soldier by the throat grabbing the weapon in his hands she fired at the other two then pointed it at Teval as the creature underneath her hand became unconscious from lack of oxygen.

Teval looked furious. "You will not get off this ship!" he hissed at her. "I control it now and all of your crew mates are subjects to the maze or locked up for further study! You will not succeed alone!" Seven motioned to a corner of the room. "I will see you destroyed for this!"

Seven glared at him and shoved the tip of the weapon under his chin. "I should eliminate you right now."

The Doctor was fervently pulled off the 'testing' equipment from Ayden. "There's no time for that Seven!"

Seven backed up and helped the doctor. She looked into her sister's eyes. They were glazed over as Ayden sought to protect herself, keeping her mind as far from the pain as she could. She looked to the Doctor who injected several hyposprays into Ayden.

"That should help alleviate the pain and start healing some of the damage caused. But it's going to take time." He looked at Seven. "She may not come out of this."

Seven nodded understanding. She had gone through something similar when the infected vinculum from the destroyed Borg cube had been in Voyager's vicinity releasing the memories of the species she had assimilated. "I understand."

Teval slid his hand to a button on his lapel and touched it. "Red code in medical area," he said as Seven turned on him and fired.

**oooooooo**

Tuvok felt his grip go as the pipe loosened even farther. With a quick twist of his wrist he turned the pipe freeing it from the section where it hung. Shifting it straight down as he fell into it's oral cavity he jammed it down impaling the creature. Sharp teeth caught about him once as the creature shrieked from the pain and died.

Tuvok clawed his way out of the thing then headed back to where Chakotay lay. He knelt down next to the supine man seeing a small hole that had punctured his chest with blood surrounding it. He felt for a pulse only to sit back and bow his head. The Commander was dead. He tensed when he heard the charging of weapons. Looking behind him he saw a small troop of the creatures that had captured them, and a man in a uniform with pale green skin.

"It would have been better for you if you had left him behind," the man told him in a condescending tone.

**oooooooo**

Chakotay woke up feeling... different. He looked about and found he was alone in the hallway. The creature was gone but so was Tuvok and everything had a hazy white tint to it. He looked over as Tuvok came running back. The Commander sat up as Tuvok looked past him to the floor where he had just been. Chakotay looked down and found that he was on the floor too. '_What's going on?'_ he asked as he pushed a hand into Tuvok's body. It felt like a wash of cool air on his skin. He looked over Tuvok's shoulder as the Vulcan bowed his head._ 'Tuvok, behind you!'_ The Commander didn't hear him and Chakotay watched as Tuvok was taken hostage and two of the creatures took the ankles of his body and drug it behind him.

Chakotay was stunned to watch his lifeless body move away from him. He was... dead. He sat there and thought about it for a second. He was dead. He looked to his form and sat for a moment longer, all of the thoughts of his life and what might have been raced through his mind. Kathryn was the strongest. He would never know what might have happened between them. He stood up and a look of resolve crossed his face as he followed the group and his body.

**oooooooo**

Tom was panting by the time they made it back up to the top clutching at his side. B'Elanna help him sit and he winced at the action. The Captain crouched down by them. "You doing alright?" she asked sincerely concerned.

He let out a breath. "Give me a second."

She nodded and stood up. Harry watched from a couple of steps away. They waited until Tom was ready and he stood back up with B'Elanna and Harry's help. They slowly moved along. He looked to the somber group. "Could be worse," he told them. "Could have the Doc along."

B'Elanna smiled and shook her head knowing how much Tom loved being the Doctor's assistant. Janeway looked back at him with an amused look. "I thought that would be a good thing with the condition you're in."

He smiled at her. "Nah, I'm ready for another inning of baseball."

The Captain shook her head. "I think baseball's not going to be such a favorite game for a lot of the crew anymore."

Tom sighed. "You know, we could have everyone play against Ayden next time."

The Captain looked to Harry. "Yeah, maybe," Harry said softly.

B'Elanna and Tom looked at each other. "What happened?"

Harry looked back at them. "She went down about the same time you did, Tom. You two are they only ones we've seen so far."

B'Elanna looked to the tightness in the Captain's shoulder. "She's tough. She'll be okay. The whole crew is. We'll find a way out."

Janeway nodded. "We will," she said with firm conviction in her voice.

**oooooooo**

Seven looked to the Doctor as Teval slumped over onto the floor. The red alert had come on and the Doctor disappeared. "Computer activate EMH!" Seven called out.

_'Unable to comply, EMH is offline_,' the computer told her.

Seven looked to Ayden and shifted an arm underneath her shoulders and lifted her up into a sitting position. She could barely feel the connection between the two of them. "Ayden, I require your help," she told her. Ayden didn't move. Seven pulled her over to the edge of the table and sat her facing forward and clasped her chin lightly. "Ayden!" she said forcefully. Ayden swallowed and blinked once but no more. It was good enough for Seven. She helped her down and carried most of her weight as she escorted her out of sickbay.

**oooooooo**

Chakotay watched as Tuvok was led to a large enclosed space that was out of the way of the rest of the maze. No one would have ever found this place unless they knew what they were looking for. The large bay door opened silently to allow them into the large room with four large holding cells. No accommodations other than the hard floor and a couple of dim lights. Some of the captives looked as if they had been there for some time. He saw a few of Voyager's crew in one of them and the force field was lowered and Tuvok and his body were put inside. The small group of the crew was silent. There was another body from Voyager there too. A lieutenant from security.

He didn't listen to them talk as he thought about what he was going to do. He couldn't just stay here, and he knew something would happen to take him to the spirit world if he didn't do something soon. He looked to the others, no Captain, or any of the other senior officers. He sat down next to his body and began to concentrate reaching out, feeling for something that he knew was his best hope in returning and staying in linear time until he could succeed. He found it! Now how to get from here to there?

**oooooooo**

Slowly the foursome moved through a section of rock corridor. There were noises that rumbled through the place that didn't sound at all friendly. Harry looked down the small passageway to the left of him. He motioned to B'Elanna who was just behind him. "What do you think?" he asked.

The others looked. It was a little bit brighter than the rest of the place and quite a bit warmer. B'Elanna looked warily at it. "I don't know Harry. It's not very wide and it doesn't look like it leads anywhere."

He looked over at her then glanced at the Captain. "Maybe that's the point?"

Janeway frowned in thought. "What do you mean?"

Harry looked back down the small hallway. "Maybe they want it to look that way but it might be a way to getting out of here."

B'Elanna looked at the Captain who shrugged. "We've seen stranger things. It just might be."

Harry grinned. "I'll go look." He looked to the Captain for approval and she gave a slight nod. He nodded back and hurried down the way.

B'Elanna looked to her captain. "Why don't I go along just to make sure he doesn't get into trouble?"

"I heard that!" Harry called back.

Janeway sighed. "We'll all go." She motioned to B'Elanna to lead and then Tom went at a slower pace holding himself up against the rock walls to stay steady as the Captain stayed behind him to make sure he didn't fall down.

B'Elanna made a good distance ahead of them as she tried to catch up with Harry. "B'Elanna?" The Captain called out.

"Here captain! I don't see Harry anywh..." The Engineer swore. "What in the hell!... Oh my... Harry!"

Tom stiffened at the fear in B'Elanna's voice, then pushed himself to move faster. Janeway spotted the shift in the ground before Tom and she grabbed him pulling him to a halt. The floor was a thick fluidic substance camouflaged like the floor waiting for victims to come along and be taken in like quicksand. All that was left of Harry was his foot which glooped down to disappear and B'Elanna was moving fast with only her head and right arm free.

"B'Elanna!" Tom called out as he struggled loose from the Captain's grip and ran for her.

"Tom, no!" B'Elanna called back. "I'm too far in! See if you can find something to get me out!" She was at least five feet from the edge and she knew they wouldn't have any luck without something to help them.

The Captain caught Tom right before he hit the edge of the ooze and pulled him back making them both fall backwards. Tom fought as he, the Captain and B'Elanna knew there was nothing that could help.

"I love you, Tom," B'Elanna said through teary eyes as she took a breath before she was enveloped in. Tom cried out in despair as the Captain held him so he didn't try to share the same fate.

**oooooooo**

**Part IV**

**End Game Playoff**

Seven half carried Ayden along with her to the nearest secure room which was a transporter room as she watched out for the Opakii that controlled Voyager now. She made it in and sealed the doors shut. She set Ayden down and looked at her face at where they had tried to take her implants out. "I will find help," she told her sister. Ayden didn't even look at her, her eyes glazed in shock.

Seven set her in the corner of the room to keep her upright. She knelt beside her and removed a panel in the wall. Slipping a few data chips around she tapped a few pads in a quick efficient manner. She worked for a moment then got up and opened another panel on the other side of the room. She looked into it and raised an eyebrow and began to work in there. Briskly she moved back and tapped a few more keys in the first console. She looked to Ayden who hadn't moved. She was worried. She tapped a few more pads and moved another chip and the panel across the room shot out a beacon of pale blue light. The Doctor was standing before them in the hazy blue color, he wasn't solid, he was a projection.

"Seven!" The Doctor exclaimed. He saw Ayden and tried to move forward only to have half of him disappear. "What happened?" he asked and stopped when he heard his voice. He sounded like he was in an enclosed metal room.

"You are an optical projection. I downloaded your subroutine into it's array. You cannot move past where it cannot project." She stood to face him. "Why did you do this to her?"

"I had no choice, Seven. If I hadn't they would have cut her up to get what they wanted. This way I could have at least of given her a chance."

"How do I repair the damage?"

The Doctor looked thoughtful. "You need to get her back to sickbay."

"That is unacceptable. They would only recapture us," Seven said in a hard tone.

"Then we have to figure how to secure it!" he bit back through clenched teeth.

He didn't like the accusing tone. He had tried to help, he had gotten Seven out of her alcove and Ayden some help. He had gone slower than normal, getting away from her vital implants that she needed to function, all of them were needed but she could still survive minus a few of them. It had been hard on him to see Ayden suffer. The pain endurance tests they had done. He shuddered at the sound of her screams and the pain she felt had washed over him forcing him to share it with her. He looked to the young woman. She was almost catatonic. He couldn't blame her, he was surprised she was functioning at all. He looked to Seven. She was fully functioning from regenerating but he knew she would have been next. Ayden had been first because she was the one more deadly one.

"Seven can you access your Borg shields?"

She looked at him and nodded. "I will require assistance though." Captain Janeway had done it before, but Ayden couldn't assist her, and the Doctor couldn't touch her.

He smiled. "I'll try and help as best I can."

**oooooooo**

The Captain slid down the rock face wall to sit next to a stunned Tom. She was tired. God was she tired. When was the last time she felt this tired? Harry and B'Elanna were gone in that ooze. She looked to Tom and the tears that streaked his dusty face. He looked worse than her but she didn't have a face full of bruises and her partner didn't just... die? She hoped they weren't. She needed both of them on Voyager. That made her heart sink deeper. She didn't know where Voyager was. She didn't even know where she was. Or the rest of her crew... she looked to the pit of slime. What was she going to do?

She looked back down the way they had come to see the vague light had disappeared. Figures stood at the end. Janeway felt an anger surge as the weapons were pointed at them.

**oooooooo**

Seven stepped out into the hallway of the ship. It had taken a while since she was accessing part of her optical implant blindly, but with the Doctor's guidance she had achieved her task. She didn't like leaving Ayden behind who had stayed just like she was, curled up, unblinking in the corner, but she had no choice. Seven sealed the door from the outside with a Borg algorithm which would take a long time to decipher. With confidence she strode down the hallway. Two guards stopped when they saw her. "Halt!" one of them called out. She did not and they fired. It stung a little, but when they fired again her newly activated Borg shielding compensated and she continued on.

She entered the nearest area where a weapon could be found and entered back into the hallways. This time she was the predator, she was Borg, and they would feel her superior strength. She took down everyone on her way to the bridge. Inside six Opakii were manning Voyager's systems. They all shot at her to no avail. She took them out easily and strode to the helm. Quickly tapping in a sequence she looked to the screen to see a large dull gray asteroid in full view. It was one of the largest she had ever seen and Voyager was small compared to it.

"Computer lock out all bridge controls using sequence beta four six four, numeric Borg encryption code to my command only," she instructed the computer.

_'Sequence locked in place,'_ the computer replied.

"Computer locate Captain Janeway."

_'Captain Janeway is no longer on board.'_

"What was the Captain's last known location?" Seven asked.

_'Captain Janeway was last located on Holodeck One_,' the computer answered.

"Computer scan the asteroid on screen for any life signs."

_'There are two hundred and eighty seven life forms located within the asteroid.'_

"How many of these are of human designation?"

_'There are twenty four human life signs.'_

Seven tapped in a few more codes into the helm's console and found that most of Voyager's crew were located in cargo bay one and surrounding areas. "Computer transfer all bridge controls to sickbay."

_'Transfer complete.'_

_"Dumar to Teval. We've lost the link to Voyager's computer. What is the delay?"_ A voice over the communications asked.

Seven raised an eyebrow at that but ignored it. "Computer, are weapons located on the asteroid?"

_'Affirmative, ten high powered laser cannons are active aboard the asteroid's surface.'_

Seven tapped in a few more commands. "Computer initiate the jamming sequence and evasive maneuver pattern alpha two once the shields are raised." She moved to the turbolift. "Raise shields." The computer beeped in response and the ship began to move firing at the cannons as the jamming sequence fed back into the tractor beam and disengaged it while disabling the asteroids weapons array at the same time.

"Deck eight," she told the lift. "Computer seal the bridge and flood it with anestazine gas."

**oooooooo**

Chakotay opened his eyes after concentrating as hard as he could to find himself on Voyager's bridge. He was surprised to see the unconscious men like the one that had talked with Tuvok lying about on the floor, someone had been busy. He moved to the helm and looked to the console and smiled. Seven was loose, which meant that Ayden had to be somewhere around.

The Commander moved over to the bridge wall and put his hand through it. Just like with everything else. It was odd being a ghost. He moved through the wall and slowly wandered his way around until he found the link he was looking for. He could sense her, he knew her mind well. But it surprised him that it wasn't very strong. He slipped through the doors to find the doctor looking worried, agitated, very see through and blue. He turned to see what the doctor was looking at.

Chakotay knelt down beside Ayden. He was stunned at the sight. '_Ayden, what did they do to you?'_ he whispered even though he knew she couldn't hear him. He reached out and tried to touch her face. She blinked once at the odd feeling then her eyes rolled back and her breathing stopped. '_Ayden!'_ Chakotay called out.

The doctor stopped pacing and looked to the young woman. He heard the sound and saw her go completely still. "Ayden!" he said in the tinny voice of the optical projection. "Ayden? Answer me!"

Chakotay slid his hand into her body then entered the rest of the way, joining her completely.

The Doctor stared at her willing her to respond. Slowly a breath came and he heaved a sigh of relief. Then another breath but she was barely hanging on. "Come on, Seven!" he said impatiently. "Hurry up!"

**oooooooo**

B'Elanna slid out of the ooze onto a metal floor. _"GACK! COUGH!"_ She threw up a stomach full of slime that she was covered in. It tasted like rotten eggs. Well, if that's what rotten eggs tasted like. She coughed some more and spit what was left in her mouth out. Slowly she wiped it out of her eyes and off her face and sat back leaning on an elbow. She blinked her eyes open and saw Harry lying a few feet from her.

"Harry?" she called out. Nothing. Slowly she crawled his way and turned him over. He wasn't breathing. She turned him on his stomach and straddled his legs and pushed down and up on his back forcing the slime out of his lungs. She coughed some more and for the moment was thankful for her Klingon stamina and strength. It was probably the only thing that kept her alive.

She watched with pangs of worry as she pushed the gunk out of Harry, amazed at the amount he had inhaled. He shifted suddenly and coughed. B'Elanna patted his back. "Come on, Harry!" she encouraged. He coughed again and wheezed in a breath. She crawled off of him and laid down. She was worn out. She patted his back again to keep him conscious. "You with me, Harry?" she asked.

He coughed again. "Yeah," he got out and coughed some more.

Both of them just laid there catching their breath. She looked over and saw that the slime was pooled into the wall. Held up... she didn't know how, and right now she didn't care. But they were alive. She shut her eyes and prayed Tom and the Captain knew they were still living. The cry Tom gave as she sank in and the Captain holding him back from the same fate. The anguish in his blue eyes. A tear streaked into the slime on her face. This was a nightmare.

Harry slowly turned onto his back and wiped his face off. "Is the ride over yet? I want to get off," he whispered hoarsely.

B'Elanna couldn't help it. She began to laugh. It started down in her stomach and just rose up. Harry looked her way and began to laugh to. Laughing that they were still alive and had something to laugh about. Laughing because if they didn't they would probably cry. B'Elanna clutched her stomach and let out a deep breath. "Oh! I needed that!" She looked his way. "You okay?"

He nodded. "You?"

She nodded to and slowly sat up squeezing the slime out of her hair, she slicked it back. "Never better." She looked at the ensign and smiled. "That crap just does wonders for you."

He snorted and sat up. "I bet." He looked around and found a hatch. He stood on shaky legs and opened it. "Hallway just like the others," he told her.

She stood up and joined him. "Guess we'll see what's down them."

"Think we'll find Tom and the Captain?"

B'Elanna sighed. "Let's hope."

**oooooooo**

The Captain watched Tom closely as they were escorted down various hallways and finally into a large holding room. She looked across to see a few of her crew in one of them. She was relieved to see that Tuvok was okay. He looked to her from the center of the cell, his face hard and unemotional.

The guards pushed them along and Janeway looked back to Tom. The Ensign hadn't spoken a word. His face was pale and in shock as he trudged unconcerned behind her. The guard closed the force field down and let them enter. The captain got Tom sat down and he huddled up staring at nothing with a blank look on his face.

Tuvok looked to the pilot then to the captain. Janeway motioned him away from the rest of the group. "B'Elanna and Harry were taken down in a trap. It was like a quicksand of slime. We couldn't help them," she said sadly.

Tuvok nodded. "As I could not with the Commander."

Janeway's eyes went wide and she looked to where Tuvok motioned. Chakotay's body was laid out on the floor and if it hadn't of been for the bruising about his neck and the hole in his chest she would have thought he was sleeping. Her mind went blank for a moment in sorrow as she went and knelt next to him. She touched the intricate tattoo on his forehead feeling the coldness of his body. She looked up to the Vulcan. "What happened?"

He was about to answer when the doors opened again and the two men she had seen what seemed like days ago but was really only a few hours came forward. Her blood began to boil. She stood and faced him and his smirky superior attitude. "What are you planning to do! Kill off my entire crew!"

The man in front smiled. "Yes. I was hoping that you might have a few more that were capable of combat like the dark one. But the subjects are not fairing well. I will have more of them sent down for more testing later on." He looked at the fuming captain. "We have need of the technical schematics of our newly acquired vessel. Which of our subjects is competent enough to get what we need?"

Janeway curled a lip of disgust up at him. "Your 'maze' just killed her."

He looked at her and saw she was telling the truth. "Then it will be slower for my own soldiers."

She looked at him curiously then to the creatures. "You're letting them tear up my ship?"

He looked down at her. "Hardly. They are grunts, not worthy of such a complex task. The technicians in my troops are going over the capabilities of the vessel."

Tuvok stepped forward. "Your troops?"

The man puffed his thin chest out proudly. "I am General Dumar. Fourth rank of the high command of Opakii Force of Arms. I run this station to find better grunts for our war efforts against our enemies." He grinned. "The dark one will clone nicely into new soldiers."

Janeway's eyebrows went up at this. "You're going to clone Ayden?"

His brow furrowed. "It's name is no longer important. It is the dark one. But only after we have tested it's efficiency."

Janeway clenched her jaw. "And how are you going to do that?"

**oooooooo**

Seven opened up the transporter room door. "Thank god!" the doctor exclaimed. "Hurry! She's struggling as it is!"

Seven looked down to see that Ayden was not doing well. Her eyes were no longer open and her breathing was faint. She picked her up and carried her over her shoulder just like Ayden had done with her earlier and swiftly exited leaving the agitated doctor behind. "Hurry!" he reminded her as the doors closed.

It wasn't long before Seven entered sickbay. Five soldiers stood inside looking at her with some surprise that she had returned. Seven looked their way with pure borgness. "Resistance is futile," she told them.

They looked at her inquisitively since she was carrying something and had no weapon. The senior member of the group stepped forward. "You will yield the dark one to us or perish," he commanded.

Seven raised an eyebrow at that. She lowered Ayden onto a bed then strode forward. The soldier backed up a step at her boldness. Seven caught the end of his weapon in a tight grip and shifted the end away from her and stared him down. "Species 1983, average to low intelligence, conflicts with surrounding species make you volatile and hardly useful. You add nothing to the collective but your ability to be work drones. Yielding to such a species is irrelevant." She pulled the weapon from the stunned officer and pointed it at him. "You will aid me or your existence will be minimal." She looked at them with a dominant bearing as they dropped their weapons. She collected them and moved to the console. "Move Ayden to the main table," she ordered as she keyed in to retrieve the doctor back to sickbay. They looked at her and she shot one of them watching him fall with an aloof look. "You will comply."

They did.

**oooooooo**

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" B'Elanna exclaimed, looking at the young man skeptically who was sitting in a hidden corner so they weren't spotted by any threats that might pass by unannounced. They had searched around and Harry had noticed a deep pit across one grated walkway. Down below was an entire section of machinery. But it was a good fifty foot drop and neither of them were strong enough to make that jump. So they looked around for something to help them get down as far as they dared to wander without losing the position of the machinery pit. Finally they had given up and headed back.

"It's the only way we're ever going to get down B'Elanna," he told her, looking up at the angry woman. He had pulled off his uniform leaving him in a t shirt and boxer shorts, totally grateful to any higher power that was listening that he hadn't worn briefs. "And personally I don't mind getting out of it. It's getting stiff from that slime drying on it."

He took care and began to rip it length wise into long strips using a sharp rock B'Elanna had worked off with her Klingon strength. Actually, she kicked the piece off to release some frustration at their predicament. Harry placed his useless badge on his thin undershirt and set to work.

B'Elanna sighed. "What the hell." And took her own off leaving her in about the same position but revealing a little more thigh. She stuck her own combadge in place and handed it to him. He smiled gratefully and took it and began to rip it up.

Carefully they tied the strips together to make a long rope. They headed back for the walkway and found that they still had a little bit of a drop but they could make it. B'Elanna tied it off in the corner of the metal grating so it wasn't so easy to detect and they slowly descended. B'Elanna dropped off first and slid into a dark corner looking about and finding no one was there. She motioned and Harry quickly joined her.

**oooooooo  
**

Chakotay took in a breath. He opened his eyes to find himself in a very dark place. It was the fields that he visited in his spirit quests with Ayden. Slowly he stood and looked around. Everything was wilting and dying, winds ripped through the once beautiful plains chilling him and the skies were cloudy tinted with a rusty blood red color.

He moved toward the lake and found it was drying up, the curled up form he sought sat on top of the big rock nearby with her arms about her knees staring into the black waters. He had never seen her as herself in their joined minds. All enhancements gone, all the shadow of the dark breed missing. It was her pure soul, untainted, free from the trappings that the physical world had bestowed on her.

She was radiant, almost glowing in a majestic innocence. The fierce surroundings whipping her light brown hair about her shoulders making her look like an angel trapped in the pit of hell, and that hell was her tormented mind.

Chakotay crossed and knelt down next to her. She looked his way, tears streaking down her pale cheeks. She blinked in surprise at his presence. '_Why are you here?'_ she asked softly.

He touched her cheek with a kind hand. There were no marks of her physical abuse she had suffered marring her perfect, soft skin. '_I need your help Ayden. And it looks as if you need mine.'_

Ayden closed her eyes at the gentle touch._ 'I cannot. I am tired.'_

_'I'm not giving up on you. What would Seven do? Losing you so soon after you've found each other? What will the Captain do?'_ He touched her cheek again and the tears coursed down. '_What will I do without my spiritual guide?'_

She looked at him through watery eyes._ 'I am needed?'_

He smiled. '_Yes, you are needed. Why wouldn't you be?'_

She looked to the waters. '_Seven does not need anyone, I think. She is angry with me often.' _

Chakotay looked to the sadness in her eyes. Ayden idolized her older sister. '_Seven just has a hard time showing her feelings. And the anger is often confusion because you two are different. But that doesn't mean she doesn't need anyone. No one wants to be alone, not even her.'_

Ayden looked into his eyes truly seeing and feeling that he was sincere and she smiled a little. '_Are we questing?'_

He shook his head and he became serious. '_No. I am separated from my body. I need your help to find a way back into it.'_

Ayden sat up, her concern now shifted to helping him, shifting her pain and sorrow back. She didn't like this anguish she still felt from people wanting to control her. '_You are... dead?'_

He nodded. '_In the sense that my soul and body are not together, yes. But I hope I can find a way back'._ He laid a gentle hand on her knee. '_You are a very powerful person, Ayden. More than you realize. That's why so many wish to possess you for their own gain. And many others will try as we journey towards home. But I know that we can find a way to help each other if you'll try.'_

She looked to the waters then to him. '_I am damaged. I need to be repaired.'_

He nodded. '_The doctor was there when we joined. He is helping someone, most likely Seven. They will help you.'_

_'Where is your body?'_

_'On the asteroid that Voyager is orbiting around,' h_e told her as he stood and motioned slightly with his hand. She scooted over and he sat next to her and put his arm about her shoulders. '_There is nothing you can't do Ayden. All you have to do is believe in yourself like the rest of us do,'_ he whispered in her hair.

The winds died down and the colors returned to the barren land as Chakotay talked softly to her. She leaned into him and slept, letting her soul begin to heal itself.

**oooooooo**

B'Elanna looked to the system's console in front of her with Harry looking over her shoulder. She sighed a frustrated breath. "Harry, you could look over there," she told him.

He looked at her and smiled. "There's nothing over there to look at except data chips. Besides, I think this is what will give us access to everything."

B'Elanna rolled her eyes. He was right, it did look like that. There were monitors and consoles all over the place. She pointed to a section. "Look at these readings."

He looked. "High tetryon particles. And that looks like the emitter that ripped the gateway into the holodeck."

B'Elanna grunted. "Photonic displacement. Damn it! It's like they were just waiting and then they blocked everything off so we couldn't get out!"

Harry nodded. "They probably were." He pointed to another console. "Looks like the schematic of the place." He punched a couple of buttons. Both of their eyes went wide and he punched a few more.

"I don't believe it." B'Elanna muttered. She looked over at Harry. "Didn't we pass an asteroid field a week or so back?"

He nodded. "I guess time doesn't make a difference in how long they take in trapping people into this place."

B'Elanna punched angrily at a few buttons this time. There were hundreds of corridors and traps laid about the carved space rock. And the life signs showed that some were rather large and from the medical file that appeared on the screen next to it, quite deadly. She hit a few more. "Look at that. All lot of life signs there all grouped together."

"Think that's where the Captain and Tom are?"

She shrugged. "Let's see if we can find out."

**oooooooo**

The Doctor appeared in his holographic state. He sighed with relief then moved to where Ayden lay. He injected a stimulant to keep her heart going while he worked on the rest of her. He keyed in the bed's panel which slid up to encompass her body and the monitors began to go off.

Seven moved in next to him. "How may I assist you?"

The Doctor looked over at her. "Watch those," he pointed to the panel of monitors. "If they go passed that point..." he motioned. "Then tell me."

She nodded and studying them and watched the Doctor frantically work. One of the Opakii moved and she shot him without looking. The others didn't move a muscle after that.

The Doctor began to stabilize Ayden. He was surprised at how quickly her body accepted his treatment. Certain that she wasn't going to die on him he began to repair the damage they had forced him to do on her. He hazarded a glance back at Seven. "She's stable, but this is going to take some time."

She nodded and watched him. "I understand."

**oooooooo**

"Communications?" Harry guessed. He was pretty familiar with the ones on the bridge.

B'Elanna looked back. "Maybe. I think I found the force field overrides." She pointed to the screen in front of her. "They have a lot of those creatures on this rock. I don't want to have to fight all of them." She flipped the switch and another panel lit up.

Harry looked at it with her. It looked like all the force fields everywhere were now in place. "Was that good?"

B'Elanna glared at him. "How am I supposed to know?"

Her eyes went wide and she shoved Harry out of the way as one of the creatures came up from somewhere and attacked them. The Lieutenant let out a fierce and probably very foul Klingon curse and beat the crap out of him with some nice but vicious moves. Harry watched stunned for a moment as the creature landed back with a hard kick to the jaw. It wasn't going to get back up for a long time. B'Elanna was breathing hard and her body shook with the adrenaline rush.

Harry smiled. "Good thing that wasn't me."

She glared at him. "It could be," she hinted with a growl.

He nodded. "Good point." He pointed to another section. "I'll work over there for awhile."

B'Elanna nodded. "Good idea." He moved away and she looked to the confusing machine and kicked it hard. All the lights came on and the machine hummed. "Best thing to happen so far," she muttered.

**oooooooo**

Seven had moved to the console she had rerouted bridge controls through. She punched in a few new commands as the Doctor sighed. He straightened up and looked pleased. "Doctor?"

He smiled at her. "A few days in her alcove and she'll be alright."

Seven nodded. "Then she should rest."

The doctor agreed. He punched a few pads on the panel. He looked up at her. "Did you find out what's going on?"

Seven nodded. "We are in orbit around a giant asteroid. Twenty four of our crew are inside it. The rest of the crew are being held in cargo bay one."

He looked surprised. "An asteroid?"

Seven looked at him. "I must return to the bridge. They are bringing their tractor beam back online."

He nodded. "I'll go get everyone out of cargo bay one."

Seven nodded and looked to the captives. "And what shall we do with them?"

**oooooooo**

Captain Janeway felt rather sick at the general's idea of testing efficiency. She was about to give him a piece of her mind when alarms went off near the doorway. The general did not look pleased and left his amusement of harassing the captain for the console.

"What!" he hissed into the communications device. "That is not possible! You will be severely punished for this failure!"

Then they felt it. A small tremor throughout the room. General Dumar turned back to them, all amusement wiped from his face. The Captain gave him an amused grin. "Something wrong?" she purred.

"Be quiet!" he yelled at her. He came up close to the force field. "I will destroy your ship for this!"

Janeway's eyebrows raised. "Oh, it's my ship again is it? What happened? Find out that my crew's more than you thought it was?"

He glared at her. "Your Borg has outlived any usefulness! It will be eliminated along with your ship and the rest of your crew!"

"The dark one was too much for you?" she smiled.

"No, the other one! My second in command thought he could control her and let her loose!" He looked at her assessing his problem. All of his guns were down and Voyager was evading the almost defunct tractor beam. He was fortunate that one of his men got a message to him. "If I let you communicate with the Borg you will tell it to halt this action or I will eliminate everyone of your crew on the maze."

This got him a curious look not only from the Captain but the rest of the crew. Captain Janeway took one step forward and looked him right in the eyes almost making him flinch with how hard they were. "I don't think so," she bit off at him.

"I will destroy your ship," he warned her.

She raised an eyebrow at him not changing the look on her face. "You aren't going to do anything for me and we all know you're going to eliminate us one by one until we're dead." One more step and she was almost in his face. "So why should I?"

He looked at her and swallowed. "Because I command it!" he spit back.

Janeway turned away from him raising her hands up in confusion. "For some reason I don't feel like doing what you 'command'." She turned back to him. "So what are you going to do now?"

**oooooooo**

_'They aren't going to wake you up_,' Chakotay told Ayden. On a subconscious level they had figured out from Ayden's lethargic mood that the doctor had given her a heavy sedative. He looked to his young friend. She looked a little better but she was still ashen faced and she had a hard time keeping her eyes open. He glanced about the field they sat in. It was still a little on the sullen side but at least it didn't look like Armageddon had gone through it._ 'I can't stay here forever. I have to get back to my own body before it's too late to return to it.'_

Ayden looked up at him. '_I do not think I can fight this.'_

He nodded. She was getting more tired as they talked and the drugs were starting to have an effect on him too. He stood and looked down at her. '_I have an idea.'_

_'What?'_

He took a hold of her about her waist and threw her into the lake. She flailed about just before she hit, her eyes wide with terror. She went under with a splash. Chakotay watched amused for a moment then realized she probably didn't know how to swim and dove in after her.

**oooooooo**

The Doctor turned back as Ayden's heart beat accelerated to a hard beat. Seven joined him as he scanned her. His eyes wide he looked at Seven. "Her metabolism is burning off the sedative." He moved to a tray and slipped in a vial to a hypospray. Ayden jerked hard as her eyes open and she took in a breath arching back as if she couldn't breathe.

**oooooooo**

Chakotay caught her in the muddied water and pulled her out. Ayden grabbed onto him and he was grateful she didn't have her normal strength. She coughed out water and gasped. '_I'm sorry,'_ he whispered as she shook with fear and the chill of the water_. 'I didn't realize you didn't know how to swim,'_ he said sincerely.

Ayden coughed some more and buried her face in his neck. He waited until the shivering receded and her breathing returned to normal._ 'Are you okay?'_

_'Why?'_ she asked in a fearful and confused voice.

_'To wake you up.'_ She looked at him with a furrowed brow. '_Are you more alert?'_ She nodded. '_Forgive me?'_ She nodded more slowly this time. '_I'll make it up to you.' _He promised. '_Now get their attention so we can help.'_

**oooooooo**

Seven put a firm hand on Ayden's stomach to hold her in place as Ayden let out the gasp and caught her breath. The Doctor put the hypospray to Ayden's neck. Ayden blinked and reached up and pulled his hand away before he could sedate her again.

"It is not necessary, Doctor," she told him.

Seven and the doctor glanced at each other in surprise at this. "You need to rest, Ayden," he replied.

Ayden looked at him. The doctor noted that there was something different in her eyes. She wasn't... alone. "I am needed on the asteroid." She began to sit up only to have Seven hold her down.

"You can not. You must rest," Seven said firmly.

Ayden gazed at her. "I have no choice. Chakotay is in need of my assistance."

Seven and the doctor's brows both furrowed at that. "How do you know this?" Seven asked.

Ayden lightly touched her forehead only to clench her fists feeling the remnants of the pain inducers that had been stuck just under her skin. "He is there. He needs to return to his body."

The Doctor's eyebrows shot up. "He's dead?"

Ayden nodded. "You will need to give me the required instruments to repair him."

"I'll go with you," he said.

Ayden shook her head. "It is dangerous. Would Tuvok know how to work what is needed?"

The doctor slowly nodded. "If Ensign Paris was there it would be better."

Ayden looked thoughtful. "I do not know where Tom is."

"You will not risk yourself anymore," Seven insisted.

The doctor looked at her curiously. She would have easily put herself in this situation. "She has to, Seven."

Seven glared at him. "Then I will go."

Ayden looked curiously at her then smiled. "Chakotay says to stop being an overprotective older sister for a while."

Seven glared at her. "If you damage yourself further I will be displeased with you."

Ayden nodded and grinned. "You would 'kick my butt' as B'Elanna would say."

Seven looked at her then nodded. "Precisely."

The doctor looked at them. "Well now that we have that settled. Let's get what you need and get Voyager back completely."

**oooooooo**

Ayden was transported to appear in a hallway filled with officers. She smiled as Chakotay told her about them in her mind. They looked at her and grabbed for weapons. She crouched down as her eyes became dark. "Surrender and you will live," she told them.

They looked at her fearfully, some of them did but most of them fired. Ayden easily maneuvered about as a few hits got her but the technology had been assimilated on the holodeck and her implants shielded her from them.

It didn't take long before the room was littered with unconscious, dead and dying. She easily moved out of the room with a few scratches as she slid into the shadows and stealthy moved her way towards the Commander's body.

**oooooooo**

The doors to cargo bay one opened and the crew watched as the Doctor came in with a phaser in his hand. He grinned with victory. Neelix stood up with an arm about Naomi. "Doctor?"

The hologram smiled. "The intruders have been defeated but your help is needed. Seven is on the bridge alone and Ayden's gone down to help with freeing the others on the asteroid."

The crew breathed a sigh of relief as Neelix and the others moved forward with a purpose.

**oooooooo**

Captain Janeway looked up as the doors to the holding cell opened. Ayden entered totally shimmering in dark menace. The Opakii looked at her stopping as all of the guards aimed their weapons at her. General Dumar stepped in front. "No! Do not harm the dark one. Stun it and take it to the medical center here be analyzed." They fired to no avail as her Borg technology protected her.

"I have assimilated your weapon's technology. They are useless against me," Ayden told them.

This surprised everyone of the Voyager crew being held captive. Ayden spoke in a rich, confident voice. But there was a hint of something more, something else. Something... Janeway looked to her dead Commander then back and she smiled. She knew Chakotay would never give up that easily.

General Dumar looked at her. "We will destroy your crew members if you do not give yourself up."

Ayden looked directly at him and the implant about her forehead glowed. "You will destroy them if I do." The curious eyes of a young child looked at him. "Why do you lie? What purpose does it serve?"

Janeway moved to the corner of the cell nearest the general and looked at the small figure of her young friend facing them without fear. "She can read your mind," she told him quietly, fibbing a little. "She's stronger than anything you have with you. Faster than your weapons or your soldiers. Lower your weapons and stand down or you'll end up dead like the ones you sent before."

The general glared at her. "No! Others will come and take her! Her technology is needed for the war effort!"

"But you won't be there will you? And how do you know they'll succeed?" She leaned against the rock wall. "The Borg, the ones who gave her this technology... even they can't duplicate it. How are you planning to? And once she's freed us we'll take your weapons and destroy this hellhole. The prisoners will tell of this place throughout the quadrant bringing shame and disgrace to the Opakii and dishonor to your name."

General Dumar faced her. "Do not threaten me Janeway of Voyager! I have hundreds of soldiers here and it is you who will fail!"

A loud buzz ran through the communications system. "What did you touch?" they heard in a booming voice that hummed and squeaked throughout the room. It was B'Elanna.. There was an unrecognizable voice in the background. "You said they were there!" she said to the voice.

"B'Elanna?" Janeway called out looking back to Tom who looked completely stunned in shock.

"Captain?" The comlink squealed a high pitch and Ayden flinched at the noise. General Dumar yelled a war cry and brandished a blade and ran at Ayden with it raised high while she was distracted by the noise.

"Ayden!" Janeway warned as Dumar leaped high in the air coming down on top of the young woman.

"No, it's B'Elanna. Captain?" the Lieutenant said curiously over the link.

The others watched as Ayden grasped the generals wrist with the knife in and snapped it. The general screamed at the pain and half the people in the place cheered. The knife dropped to the floor as the soldiers raised their weapons at her and Ayden spun the general around keeping a grasp on his arm using him as a shield. He cried out as the broken bones were held tight. He felt the dark ones warm breath on his neck.

"Don't kill me," he pleaded.

Ayden blinked slowly. "Why? You do not value any life but your own. Why should I not feel this same way?" she asked.

He took in a breath. "I can give you great glory if you come and fight for us," he evaded.

Ayden's brow furrowed at this. She looked to the Captain who shook her head. "Don't, Ayden. Leave him to me."

Ayden drug him with her toward the force field that the crew was behind. "Captain?" B'Elanna asked again.

"B'Elanna, where are you?" Janeway called out. She glanced at Tom and found him sitting in the same spot with his head in his hands. She motioned for the crew to move back as Ayden stood the general in front of the control panel and the young woman watched the troops behind her.

"We've found the generator and control systems for this place. Most of the troops are locked in their barracks. And I think Harry's found the schematics for the gateway they used to get in and capture us."

Janeway smiled. "Good work Lieutenant. Can you get us out of the force fields in this room we're in?"

She heard them talk but couldn't understand what they were saying. "Not unless we bring them all down and then the troops will be loose. It's going to have to be deactivated from there." She paused. "Captain, how's Tom?" she asked softly.

Janeway looked over at the ensign who nodded but didn't look at her. "He's okay. But I think he'd like to see you for himself."

"I think I'd like to do that, Captain. What about Voyager?"

"Seven is in control with the remainder of the crew," Ayden said.

There was a silence. "Who's that?" B'Elanna asked.

Janeway smiled. "It's Ayden. I think Chakotay's helping her out though." She looked to the young woman who smiled.

"It is getting crowded," Ayden replied.

"B'Elanna we need to find and locate any missing crew and then lets help the others to get free from this place and take General Dumar to justice," Janeway told her engineer.

"Understood." B'Elanna signed off.

Janeway looked to the general. "Turn it off."

He glared at her with the pain in his eyes. "Why should I?"

Ayden stuck him in the force field sending the shock through him for a moment before she drew him out looking curiously at his scream of pain.

"Ayden!" Janeway reprimanded her.

Ayden's brow furrowed at the anger in the captain's voice. "I wanted to observe if it hurt him. I considered maybe it was not painful for them."

Janeway was stunned but as she looked to her face she saw it was not revenge it was merely curiosity at what she didn't understand.

Ayden looked to the general. "I believe no one would be sorrowful if I did this until the force field malfunctioned."

"It's painful. You don't want to cause pain like that to others," Janeway told her firmly.

Ayden looked at her uncertainly. "You do... the others here do. Why would I not want to feel this emotion also?"

"Trust me, Ayden." The captain sighed. "You don't."

The General looked back at Ayden and saw she was quite serious about shoving him in, he lowered it. Ayden handed him over to Tuvok and moved to Chakotay. She sank to her knees and looked to the dead man. Janeway knelt on the other side. Ayden handed her a small pack. "The doctor says to use this." She looked to Tuvok then to Tom. "He said that Tom would be the most useful for this."

Janeway looked to Tom who slowly nodded and stood taking the small medkit from her. He looked across at Ayden and slowly smiled. "Are you going to talk like this all the time now?"

Ayden went pink. "I do not think so. Chakotay is helping me past my reluctance to speak."

Tom nodded. "You sound like Seven when you talk." Ayden looked up at him surprised and the captain smiled slightly.

**oooooooo**

**Part V**

**Closing Remarks**

**Captain's Log supplemental.** _It's has been two days since the Opakii surrendered. All of my crew recovered and sad to say that four of my officers were found deceased among the asteroid's maze. Recovering the rest of the captives in the maze was a bit more difficult, and against my better judgment the ex captives want justice of the most brutal kind for the general and his men. To put them back in the maze as captives. _

_I had always believed that the human spirit could surpass the debasement of violent retaliation against another. I believe it is in me. But I found myself as I saw the horror in Ensign Paris' face at the loss of the woman he loved. The torture and medical procedures on Ayden from the doctor's sad and terrifying report. As well as the death of my first officer, that I've felt this need to do this same thing to them. _

_But I had to ask if it was worth it. If I could lower myself to their standards to harm another all for the sake of a moment's justice. Is it justice? Or is it that we are just the same as those we abhor for their actions by putting on the attitude as the ones wronged, thereby making it acceptable to harm them without condemning ourselves to the same course?_

_There are times when I wish I had Ayden's freedom of recourse. But I would not want her guilt as the repercussion. If there is truly an innocent in our midst it is her. Even now members of the crew talk about wanting just due for their pains and troubles. Ayden had asked me about this anger in them. _

Janeway looked to her over the quiet dinner they shared in the mess hall as the younger woman looked to the faces of the others not understanding. "Don't you feel it? You were put through probably the worse of it."

"No," Ayden replied from across the table. Seven had told the captain of the shock Ayden had been in, in the transporter room and even now the young woman looked haunted and somber.

"Even for all that they did to you? You don't feel the need for justice?"

She shook her head and looked to her captain with intent eyes. Since Chakotay had left her body the young woman had become silent once again. "Whe-re do you fi-nd pe-ace in th-is?" Janeway looked around and felt the tone was dark and tense as they continued to orbit the asteroid until everything was set. She looked back at Ayden who looked to her untouched food. "Ra-ge, hat-red." She looked up at her. "T-they are ea-sy to su-ccu-mb to." She blinked and shuddered. "But th-ere is no pe-ace."

Janeway sat back with her coffee and thought about the forced, simple words of a young woman who knew all about them. "You're saying let bygones be bygones?"

Ayden shrugged as she pushed the food around. "Wh-at wi-ll it ga-gain?" She paused. "No-thi-ing go-od," she finished.

Janeway smiled at her. "For being eighteen, your soul's pretty old."

Ayden looked up at her worried, then slowly nodded. "As... old... as... you-rs?"

Janeway paused with her cup to her lips and she looked curiously at her for a moment and then smiled taking a drink. She set the cup down in the palm of her other hand and gave her an authoritative look. "Ayden?" She said in a quiet, dark tone that she gave her crew when she was angry and displeased with them. The young woman looked up at her. "Did you just tease me?" she said in the same tone with a smile on her lips.

Ayden blushed and looked to her food and the captain sat back and laughed. The others in the mess hall looked her way, confused that with such levity that hung over them that the captain would do such a thing. Janeway looked to them and sighed. "If only we were more like you, Ayden. The universe would be a lot better place."

The mess hall doors opened and Chakotay came through smiling at the two women he moved to stand nearby. All had gone well and he was healed and returned to the land of the living. He saw the happy amusement in the Captain's eyes and the look on Ayden's face. He nudged the young woman a little. "Showed your sense of humor, did you?"

Janeway chuckled. "And you didn't warn me?"

He smiled. "Ayden's humor needs to be experienced first hand, Captain. It's just not the same thing."

She nodded as she saw Ayden go even redder. "How are you feeling?" she asked taking the attention from their embarrassed ward.

He nodded. "Still a little tired. But pretty good."

She smiled. "When we get away from here I want you to take a couple of days and rest."

He grinned. "I think that can be arranged."

"Have you heard from B'Elanna?" Janeway asked seriously.

Chakotay nodded. "Tom's doing a lot better." He looked to Ayden. "I think someone else needs a little help too. Tonight," he told her.

Janeway looked to her. "It would help if she'd eat something. Staring at it isn't going to give her any nutritional value."

Chakotay smiled. "I'll take that up with Seven."

Ayden make a face at the table at the idea of having to listen to her siblings lecture on taking care of herself. The two smiled at each other as Ayden stuck a forkful of food in her mouth.

_It amazes me, that for all of the advancements in technology and cultural society that we have accomplished over the centuries of mankind, that we still have to look through the eyes of others who have suffered more than ourselves to see that the better man, will forgive and move on, to let the warmth of peace better their soul, than the one who desperately clings to the bitterness of retaliation, and in the process turns their own heart to the coldness of stone. End log._

**End.**


End file.
